In the third part of my series on securing your home network, we’ll assess your security and privacy vulnerabilities. In prior weeks, we’ve exhaustively listed our network devices (Scan) and removed any devices that we no longer need or don’t need to be “smart” (Simplify). Now it’s time to investigate the remaining devices and think about what we need to do to secure them.

In other news: an old Mac malware info stealer is back; thousands of Android apps are evading detection using an interesting technique; Illinois just passed a law allowing doxing victims to sue perpetrators for damages; Meta plans to roll out end-to-end encryption for Messenger by year’s end; LinkedIn accounts are being targeted for takeover; Intel’s GPU driver collects personal info by default; Tesla suffers data breach of 75,000 current and former employees; police are accessing DNA databases even for people who opted out of this access; Pennsylvania court says police been to be transparent about social media monitoring; Kansas newspaper raid by police teaches us how better to encrypt our data; hackers are selling credit report info on just about any American; NSA director tells employees to spy “with dignity and respect”.

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve seen several news stories about AI, machine learning and so-called Large Language Models. While tools like ChatGPT hold a lot of promise, many are deeply concerned about AI replacing jobs, generating potent malware, and being used in phishing and disinformation campaigns. Today I will ask AI expert Michael Littman to explain clearly what AI is and what it isn’t, how the technology actually works, and what we should and maybe shouldn’t be worried about.

Michael Littman is a computer science professor at Brown University who has won several prestigious teaching awards while studying machine learning and the implications of artificial intelligence. He serves as division director for Information and Intelligent Systems at the National Science Foundation and is also a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and the Association for Computing Machinery.

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Every summer, hackers from around the US and around the globe descend on Las Vegas, Nevada, for a series of computer security conferences which are lovingly referred to as hacker summer camp. These conferences – BSides Las Vegas, BlackHat and DEF CON – run for over a week, each overlapping the other. They bring top tier security researchers, government and industry leaders, and eager hackers to learn about new vulnerabilities, new defense mechanisms, and everything in between. There are contests and parties galore, allowing hackers to test their skills and network with others. Today I’ll tell you about my trip to BSides and DEF CON in 2023.

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In the early 1980s, personal computers started entering our homes. Prior to the internet and services like America On Line (AOL), there were online bulletin board systems (BBS) where people could share text files via phone modem connections. Of course, if you wanted to connect to a BBS outside your home area code, you would have to dial long distance – which at the time could be prohibitively expensive. Necessity is the mother of invention and it’s no coincidence that some of the earliest hacking was of the phone system to get free long distance calls. One of the first named groups of hackers was The Cult of the Dead Cow (aka, cDc). Today I’ll reminisce about the old days with two prominent members of cDc: Deth Veggie and Omega. We’ll talk about what it was like in the days prior to the internet, how hackers think, and how hacking has evolved over the years. We’ll talk about how cDc pioneered the hactivist movement and how their group overlapped and interacted with other famous groups like L0pht Heavy Industries, Masters of Deception (MOD), Legion of Doom (LOD) and much, much more.

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Last time, I told you how to enumerate all the devices on your home network. Before we go to the trouble of analyzing and mitigating their vulnerabilities, we should take the opportunity to cull the inventory. Do you really need all of these devices? Or could you forego the “smart” features that require them to be connected to your network? Today we’ll talk about reducing your attack surface before we bother trying to secure it.

In other news: the White House announces new cybersecurity labeling program; the SEC mandates a 4-day reporting window for cyber attacks; EFF opposes a bill that threatens our privacy; stolen Microsoft signing keys behind a set of targeted US government email hacks; more details emerge about Facebook mining Onano VPN for user data; TETRA radios used for decades revealed to have deliberately weakened encryption; ALPR data now being used with AI algorithms to guess which cars might contain criminals; Apple threatens to pull Facetime, Messages from UK over proposed surveillance law changes; Google’s Web Integrity API causes a stir; Apple to require justification for use of some APIs that might compromise user privacy.

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Despite growing demand from US citizens for privacy protections, the federal government has failed repeatedly to enact basic privacy laws. However, one US state – California – has led the charge on privacy and passed regulations that have benefited people outside the state. Today I’ll speak with Ernesto Falcon who is currently running for California State Senate in District 7. He has decades of experience in public policy, particularly in the realm of privacy rights, both in politics and with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. We’ll talk about how the legislative sausage is made, why we can’t seem to pass privacy regulations, how lobbyists influence policy, and much more.

Disclaimer: Views, opinions, or statements expressed are solely those of the candidate and not of his employer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

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The Internet of Things (IoT) has added internet connections to lots of home devices. Each and every one of those devices runs software on a computer chip. Almost all software has bugs and those bugs may be exploitable by bad guys. We’re going to take another look at protecting our home networks using a simple, logical methodology. Step one: SCAN. That is, first of all, we need to understand the scope of the problem by enumerating all of the devices on your home network. I’ll explain how to do that.

In other news: Apple re-releases security update after web glitch; EV chargers are vulnerable to hacking which could have significant impacts; tax prep firms shared ‘extraordinarily sensitive’ data with Meta; Meta’s new Threads service collects tons of personal info and employs dark patterns to hook you in; France passes law giving law enforcement access to private device cameras, mics and locations; police are collecting and selling personal info, bypassing the 4th Amendment and sharing across state lines; Massachusetts weighs outright ban on selling user location data; printers and printing services may be mining your documents for data.

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After lengthy negotiations and revisions, the White House has finally released its National Cybersecurity Strategy document, outlining it’s priorities and goals. It’s a wide-ranging and ambitious document consisting of five major areas of focus, or “pillars”. What’s new here? What will it mean for businesses and critical infrastructure? And what does this mean for you and I? Today I’ll cover all of that and more with Josh Corman from I Am the Cavalry and formerly with the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

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You’re using a password manager. You’re even using two-factor authentication. Great! When done properly, this will keep the bad guys out. Unfortunately, if you’re not careful, it may also keep you out. If you forget your master password or lose access to your 2FA device, you’ll be in real trouble… unless you have an access backup plan. This same plan can also help your spouse or next of kin to access your accounts should you die or become incapacitated.

In the news: CISA issues a DDoS warning after multiple attacks; LetMeSpy stalkerware maker suffers a data breach of collected data; researchers use LED power light flicker to break cryptographic keys; Australian PM recommends citizens to power cycle their phones once a day; several artists boycott venues that use facial recognition; Brave browser introduces new localhost access permission; Proton unveils new password manager; Dear Carey questioner asks about PDF readers.

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Right now there are thousands of satellites orbiting above our heads performing crucial tasks. At the end of the day, they’re just computers running software – albeit at thousands of miles up and thousands of miles per hour. Can they be hacked? What are the dangers? Aaron Myrick and the Hack-A-Sat team are trying to answer those questions. And they’re doing it by launching an actual satellite into low earth orbit for this year’s DEF CON hacking contest and asking talented hackers from around the world to take their best shot.

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